Four Years After Indictment, It May Be Decision Time For The Prince Of Pot

By
Scott Sunde, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
on May 4, 2009

Marijuana Party President Marc Emery stands in the party’s campaign headquarters in downtown Vancouver, B.C., in this photo taken May 7, 2001.British Columbia’s “Prince of Pot,” who has been waging a long campaign to reform marijuana laws and to evade the long arm of U.S. prosecutors, may soon have a decision to make.

In a few weeks, Marc Emery faces an extradition hearing in Canada that could end up sending him to Seattle. He faces drug charges in U.S. District Court over his former Vancouver business that sold marijuana seeds. The charges could send him to prison for 10 years to life.

Emery is quite willing to fight the extradition through every court in Canada. And if he ends up being sent to Seattle, making a spectacle of his trial.

But he may have an easier way out.

His two codefendants settled with prosecutors on April 24 in a sweet deal for them. They, too, faced at least 10 years in prison, but prosecutors have agreed to recommend no prison time.

And they can smoke dope without worrying about drug tests.

“If they gave me the same deal, I’d be hard-pressed not to take it,” Emery, 51, said in an interview in Cannabis Culture, an online magazine he edits in Vancouver.

Federal prosecutors aren’t commenting on a possible plea deal for Emery. They did have one in place a year ago, but it fell apart after the Canadian government rejected it.

However, it is clear that the case may be reaching a critical junction in what has been a long, strange trip.

This has been no ordinary drug case. It has raised outcries in Canada, prompted smug declarations of satisfaction at top levels of law enforcement, and been played out against shifting public views of marijuana.

At the center is Emery, the self-proclaimed prince. Calling him an activist or a gadfly is inadequate.

He is a founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party and a perennial candidate for public office (12 times since 1980). Now his wife is running for the B.C. legislature as a Green Party candidate on a platform of, among other things, drug law reform.

Emery has his magazine, a ganja-themed shop and a lounge where people can smoke grass.

His MySpace page includes a photo showing him playing a guitar the shape of a marijuana leaf and smoking a joint bigger than a Fidel Castro cigar.

He is an aging hipster and a Libertarian. Ayn Rand and Ron Paul are his heroes. He thought so much of the latter that he talked up his Republican run for the presidency in 2008. It was politics from afar since Emery lives in Canada and is subject to arrest if he crosses the border in the U.S..

Among his other heroes listed on his MySpace page are John Lennon and Spider-Man.

His marijuana seed business in Vancouver, Marc Emery Direct Seeds, was not the only one in a city where pot use isn’t cause for alarm or arrest, but it was certainly a successful one: $3 million in annual earnings and sales of 4 million seeds.

The court documents that give those breakdowns also say that about 75 percent of the customers were in the U.S. They got their seeds through the mail.

His Web sites said much of the proceeds from Marc Emery Direct Seeds went to fund reform of drug laws, especially in the Canada and the U.S.

“I was a pretty public seed dealer,” Emery said.

And, he said, he was “pretty mouthy” about marijuana and drug laws, especially in the U.S.

So in 2002, when then-White House drug czar John Walters spoke in Vancouver, Emery was there to heckle him.

The feds got what he thinks was payback in 2005, announcing the culmination of an 18-month investigation that produced indictments against Emery and two of his employees, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams.

A grand jury charged Emery with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, to distribute marijuana seeds and to engage in money laundering.

An undercover agent from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had bought seeds over the counter from Emery’s business. But not marijuana plants, much less dried marijuana ready for smoking.

Then again, Emery wasn’t selling seeds to feed the birds or sprinkle on muffins. His business told customers that at least half the seeds would sprout.

Federal prosecutors have said that translated into more than a ton of marijuana produced from the seeds.

The basic facts in the case aren’t in dispute: Emery’s business sold seeds to grow marijuana. People in the U.S. could buy them

To U.S. law enforcement, this was a large, illegal business supplying marijuana growers in several states.

“We are not going to turn a blind eye to Marc Emery’s illegal, multimillion-dollar sales of marijuana seeds,” said then-U.S. Attorney John McKay as the indictment was announced. “The grows that sprout from those seeds are often protected by armed criminals or rigged with lethal booby-traps. They do significant environmental damage and fuel the organized crime and drug trade that destroys lives.”

The local head of the DEA spoke of the “tentacles” of Emery’s business that reached out across the U.S. and Canada.

In the past, federal prosecutors have always maintained that the case was simply that: An illegal business supplying illegal activities in the United States that they had to bust.

Emery’s politics and campaigns for marijuana legalization had nothing to do with it, officials in Seattle have said.

But back in Washington, D.C., the case took on a different tone. Karen Tandy, who was the DEA administrator in 2005, released a statement saying that the arrest of Emery was a blow to marijuana trafficking and “to the marijuana legalization movement.”

She contended that Emery’s profits went to fund campaigns to make pot legal in the U.S. and Canada. “Drug legalization lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on,” she said.

Emery and his supporters seized on Tandy’s statement to show that his indictment was all politics and his prosecution would be a show trial.

Then there was the matter of drug laws in the United States and Canada. Selling seeds in British Columbia is rarely prosecuted. When it is, punishment is lenient.

Emery himself was convicted in Canada of selling seeds in 1997

He was fined $500.

Still, Emery kept selling seeds openly and even paying his taxes on income from it.

Then there is the matter of U.S. drug agents who were running an undercover operation in sovereign Canada, then having local police make the arrests.

All in all, it made Emery a visible figure, maybe even a martyr for the marijuana cause and Canadian sovereignty.

Public opinion polls in that country showed people favored not letting him being extradited to the U.S. One Canadian newspaper, The National Post, called his extradition a “farce” and said in an editorial that the differences in the two countries’ drug laws would make “extraditing Emery a shameful abdication of judgment by Canadian authorities.”

A Canadian television network did a documentary on the Prince of Pot. CBS’s “60 Minutes” also weighed in.

But even the head that holds the crown must bend in compromise.

So after fighting extradition and campaigning against the prosecution and for legalization of marijuana, Emery seemed willing to go to prison to settle the case.

He worked out a deal last year in which he would plead guilty and end up spending five years in prison, most of it in Canada. The Canadian government rejected the deal, saying it could not legally agree to Emery’s not being released before his five years were up, according to The National Post.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle would not discuss that plea deal.

“They had me agreeing to five years to save my friends (Rainey and Williams),” Emery said. The deal would have meant no prison time for them, he said.

“But now my friends aren’t at risk.”

In exchange for agreeing to plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, prosecutors agreed on April 24 to drop two other charges against Rainey and Williams.

And prosecutors have agreed to recommend two years of probation to a judge who will sentence the two in July.

Prosecutors have also agreed that neither will have to undergo drug tests during probation.

There is no provision in the deal that either must testify against Emery. The court documents mention details of Emery’s business: the 4 million seeds, the $3 million in earnings, and that 75 percent of the customers were in the U.S.

Those came from a Web site for the business, which closed after the indictment.

“All that stuff I used to advertise. That’s no surprise,” Emery says.

The plea deals Williams and Rainey signed do not mention any criminal enterprise in the U.S. that used the seeds to grow pot.

“They are secondary defendants, and we chose to resolve their cases,” said Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle.

She also said: “It is very common for the government to resolve cases with secondary players in this way. Mr. Emery is, and always has been, the lead defendant in this case. In the statement of facts in their plea agreements, these two defendants verify and confirm the allegations made by the government in the indictment.”

But Emery thinks the plea deal reflects a change in attitude toward marijuana in the U.S.

“I don’t think the ideological will exists to pursue the case,” he said.

The investigation and prosecution began when George W. Bush was in the White House, and his administration was hostile to liberalizing marijuana laws. Walters, Bush’s drug czar, was antagonistic to medical marijuana, saying it was simply a ruse to legalize pot and even other illegal drugs.

But there is a new administration. The Bush appointees who ran the Justice Department, DEA and Office of Drug Policy when a grand jury indicted Emery are gone.

But Langlie, the spokeswoman for federal prosecutors in Seattle, said changes at the top won’t alter a prosecution here.

“The case is being handled by a career prosecutor and is not impacted by any change at DOJ or in the administration,” she said.

Public attitudes toward marijuana are also changing. More than a dozen states allow medical marijuana. Seattle voters have told p0lice to making busting people for private use of a marijuana a low priority. And moves are under way in California to legalize pot.

So is a deal in the works for Emery? He said he hasn’t heard directly from prosecutors. His lawyer was unavailable for comment.

Todd Greenburg, the prosecutor in the case, wouldn’t comment. In fact, the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a matter of practice doesn’t comment on plea negotiations.

Emery would take a deal that keeps him out of prison. With the case pending, he said he can’t leave British Columbia for elsewhere in Canada without the approval of a court. Crossing the U.S. border means handcuffs and jail.

“I would like to go to the United States someday,” he said.

But he is torn.

“For me, we get more mileage for our overall objective if they tried to extradite me,” Emery said. “It would galvanize support (against drug laws).”

An extradition hearing is scheduled for June 1 through 5 in Canada. If it takes place — others have been scheduled, then postponed — Emery plans to fight and take his battle through the Canadian appeals process.

Time is on his side.

The Conservative Party rules Canada as a minority, unpopular government. National elections and a change in government could take place this year.

“It would be unpopular to extradite me,” he said. “So it would be beneficial to me for a change in government.”

If he ends up being sent to the U.S., expect quite a show. Imagine hundreds of folks crossing the border to protest.

CANNABIS CULTURE- Marijuana’s inclusion as a Schedule I drug makes little sense, but it impacts...

Comments

39 Comments

Anonymous on
May 24, 2009 2:03 pm

You should call yourself Satans son, you trolling smear of buzzard arse-drip. That’s all it’s worth saying to you because I can already tell that you’re the product of inbreeding. That’s why your brain apparently doesn’t function properly. And BTW: drop yer pants and bend over, John Walters just walked in…

Anonymous on
May 24, 2009 12:47 am

I think we should all be proud of having a guy like Marc Emery in Canada.And I’m glad he made money out of his business.He deserves it and has worked hard enough to be where he is today.I think his greatest realization was to educate people about the genus Cannabis.
and to made them realize that THEY TOO COULD GROW IT and enjoy it.
Through his seed sale business, many happy seeds have germinated and seen light, be it sun or artificial.
Go and buy a 10X magnifying eyepiece and marvels at those millions of glistening trichomes with milky and amber heads
and reddish pistils.Then you will wonder afterward that to put behind bars a man who sold the seeds of such beautiful
and versatile a plant is totally irrational and out of touch.Marc instead of being extradited you should be given
The TRIPLE GOLD TRICHOME AWARD and that before the 2010 Olympics.

Anonymous on
May 18, 2009 7:40 am

I would stand with Marc any day any place and smoke OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous on
May 18, 2009 7:35 am

People like this need to be done away with always trying to make people do as they do!!!!!!!!!!! Never and if any one is a moron it would be this idiot and one more thing I got your boy-man never step to me in the street we will see who the Boy-man is LOL punk motherfucker go a suck on moms tit

Worm on
May 11, 2009 1:13 pm

Hang in there Mark, you only have to watch the news to see that with all you have done and said marijuana legalization is the one of the hottest topics currently. Canada does not extradite people for political prosecution and thanks to karen tandys comments there can be no doubt that this is exactly why this arrest took place.

JUST SAY NOW!

Peace and Pot

Ron Pauls Bastard Son on
May 9, 2009 11:11 pm

So Pops,
I see you are hurt from unflattering comments about your deeply held beliefs concerning dope, We’re sorry, but we can’t hold the 70s back forever. All these words of yours kicking up self rightious dust- none address any points. I am sorry you are upset by the world not irrigating your pet social fantasies but hey– you had a great time while it lasted.

In the end, Marc Emery, the Prince of Pot is going to jail.
You must know that- even he knows that.

Its not untrue that the massive world stoner community are pretty wem,uch uselss as a force.. after their semi annual street protests babysat by the police, they go home, zero accomplished

And so on for the rest of your life as the rest of the world does something else. We are watching as the stoner activists quickly age and get completely ineffective. We see there are fewer young people to join your ranks..and the ones that do are ineffective as well. Prohibition is doing just fine, Thanks for paying for your own demise through your taxes.

You can now rag on to your hearts content . You are the only one here.

RonPaulsBastardSonsDaddy on
May 9, 2009 12:11 pm

Pops?…that’s rich. Hey champ, you’re the lying antagonist who came to our house thinking that you were gonna run your big mouth with impunity. Obviously, that stuff ain’t gonna fly around here.
Keep making an imbecile of yourself…it’s a good look on you. It shows everyone exactly how your narrow-minded, slimy type thinks and operates. “20-year-old sideshow babble outrages” and “cheap bombastic insults”? Have you bothered to read your posts? You’re all about the insults.
I’m not at all surprised that the first thing you’d do is take my words out of context. Then make insults, belittle Marc, make incorrect assumptions – your specialty – followed by more insults. That’s awfully profound…did they teach you that in cop-school, Ronnie? Spam your senseless drivel for all to see, quickly followed up by a subversive “stoner” comment…also by you.
One-sided comments by a smarmy, little, two-bit jerk who wouldn’t recognize integrity if it smacked him in the face.

Ron Pauls Bastard Son on
May 9, 2009 3:06 am

I smoke pot…but even *I* know it kills and causes cancer!”.

—

you said that, not me Pops.

\Maybe tick to the subject. its boring to hear you air out your collected sideshow stoner babble outrages, none of which are insightful or original, most of which are 20 years old..

This thread is about Marc Emerys fate-and the stoner world he directs in Canada- read it again- even he wants to plead guilty for a reduced sentence- he is ready to bow down to the man.. thats called ” surrender ”

and you can do is cough up tarry phlegm and make cheap bombastic insults– do you actually have an argument to counter with or just a drug crunchy moodswing ?? if its the former- please bring it on,: if it’s the latter, maybe just share your howls with your dog

RonPaulsBastardSonsDaddy on
May 8, 2009 10:19 pm

Now you’re stooping to divisive, prohibitionist-subversion, a la, “I smoke pot…but even *I* know it kills and causes cancer!”. You’re truly shameful and pathetic. You and your like-minded, irrational ilk have only succeeded in galvanizing the movement. This is much bigger than any one person.

sweetleaf connection on
May 8, 2009 5:13 pm

go ahead and legalize and tax pot . who cares? I already grow tons bigtime in the mountains and sell it to the stupid city people . legalization will have no effect on my business, any more than pot being illegal has had no effect.

I might send that rich asshole marc emery a postcard from my next winter vacation in Thailand. its the least I can do

Ron Pauls Bastard Son on
May 8, 2009 4:50 pm

Here’s to the hope that your penis isn’t as small as your brain

*********

and your penis is the same size as your brain, figures.

the world does not look favorably upon stoners, or drunks,
and is gearing up to wall you off. Your Prince of Pot is headed to
the finality of years in federal prison for international drug crime:
not some bi law cool off weekend in a county jail

You are right, it isn’t about being stoned; its about being chemically compromised and funding crime over time across the entire globe.
And we the people are shouldering together to stop this crap. You might have the opportunity to break the law but you do not have the right to break the law–and if you gambol your freedom on that and lose-which stoners usually do, you will lose your freedom –
( slam of cell door ) one in 100 Americans learn the hard way

Anonymous on
May 8, 2009 12:27 pm

You sound just like your grandaddy did so many decades ago,”Damn nigger criminals thinking they got rights.” We see how far your way of thinking has keep everything right in the world. That one man’s convictions could affect a change in thinking. MLK was just an anomoly, right? Oh that’s right, he never broke any laws or went to jail huh?

Wake up fool. It isn’t just about getting stoned. The government has been out of hand for so long that people are starting to see how very little freedom they are allowed. Scare tactics aren’t as effective as they once were.

It doesn’t really matter what you say or do. You are part of a vanishing breed. You don’t have to worry though because in a truly free United States you will still have the right to use speech to argue against rational thought.

Here’s to the hope that your penis isn’t as small as your brain or you might not find any contentment in life.

Ron Pauls Bastard Son on
May 8, 2009 4:45 am

Lastly, Marc hasn’t been convicted yet, obviously. You might want to refrain from jumping to conclusions for the time being. If faced with prison time, these things can take years…you of all people should know that.
Our laws might well have changed by then.

………
Matc Emry not only freely admits to breaking the law on US television, numerous media interviews but plead guilty lst year in hopes of scuring a deal with the US . When that deal fell apart, he still plead guilty- and now his co accused gave damning tesimony against him just last week in Seattle..
thats pretty much a done deal when all the players plead guilty– He will do time in a US prison- even he knows that even if you don’t.

If getting your Prince across our bordr takes years- thats just more years delay starting serving his sentence – & more years delay till he gets out. he will be an old man when he steps out into the sunshine again..He did the crime and he’ll do the time- If the pot laws changed tomorrow before breakfast , your Prince proudly admits he is guilty of breaking laws while they were written as they were, Plus that massive money laundering charge =- don;t expect money laundering to be legal in this lifetime. His team washed millions and millions of stoner dollars.

Maybe become more familiar with what he was charged with and what he plead guilty to before coming back here and assuming his criminal organization was petty ante social liberation– The Emery gang conspired to instruct others to grow seeded pot plants for their exclusive sales abroad ,, thats organized crime– the Emery Gang sold tens of thousands of grossly overpriced pot seeds to the US , raked in and hid millions of US dollars. That has nothing to do with politics – its a long string of serious crimes he has plead guilty to already– backed up in detail by his co accused just last week And hes a repeat offender don’t forget- that does not sit well at sentencing time…

And then there all those computer hardrives the DEA seized.. what a field day they will have– 18 months of DEA investigations on top of a decade of RCMP surveillance was more than enough to tap every phone call, read every email, track every envelope and dollar that Emery touched The Prince of Pot was a willing lightening rod for the entire North American marijuana industry-& he served the cops well for all those years – his huge mouth made it a pic nic to keep tabs on him. You have to admit it was four star uncool to have a website vending contraband and a magazine that was essentially a pot seed catalogue..

Its way too late to push back the karma clock for the Prince of Pot. Plan your going away party ..its as sure as summer follows spring with a confession.. Get a grip stoners, think outside your hotbox. There is a whole world out there you are not engaging in, and they are closing in. Plan your going away party for the Leader of your Cannabis Culture–when hes living here in our prison system he will be leaving you with an entire Drug War that he brought to your country.

” =Overgrow the Government=” wasn’t very cool or funny beyond the slums of Vancouver’.I guess you are finding that out now,

have a nice day

Buddy Watts on
May 7, 2009 10:58 pm

You’re delusional. The tide is quickly turning on the whole idea of legalization, and you’re concerned that you and your cop buddies might have to actually go after some *real* criminals now, huh? Stooping to posting inflammatory comments to stir up the “stoner” sentiment…you’re one of a kind, champ. May I suggest that you truly make a difference, and go join LEAP. Worldwide public-opinion is very-much turning against your failed little ‘war’ against the people, and you’re worried…I can see you sweating. Cannabis is less harmful than alcohol, so why the hard-on to patronize us all? Would you call a person who used alcohol responsibly a ‘booze-bag’, or a ‘lush’ (stoner)? I didn’t think so.
Millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens just want the right to have the option to consume cannabis in a RESPONSIBLE manner, without risk of persecution, arrest and incarceration (800,000 people in the US alone in 2007; If they managed to arrest 800,000, there must be an awful lot of cannabis users in the USA). You and your cop buddies can still arrest *irresponsible*, public-disordor-causing cannabis consumers and those that are obviously driving under the influence – don’t worry.
Before Marc started his mission more than fifteen years and twenty-plus arrests ago, there wasn’t a whole lot going on as far as legalization afforts or medicinal-distribution…you were lucky if you could find a ‘High Times’ magazine in Canada. Things are quite different now. More than half (65%?) of the population of Canada would decriminalize for recreational use. They rightly see it as relatively harmless, compared to alcohol.
Lastly, Marc hasn’t been convicted yet, obviously. You might want to refrain from jumping to conclusions for the time being. If faced with prison time, these things can take years…you of all people should know that.
Our laws might well have changed by then.

Ron Pauls Bastard Son on
May 7, 2009 5:57 pm

I’m all for free speech provided there is a modicum of intelligence and truth to it…but, there is no basis to your inflammatory, caustic comments, ‘

So there is no truth in the fact that Emerys co-accused betrayed him last week in Seattle to the DEA ? and thats after he paid their bail bonds of $50,000 each after they were all busted in 2005 ? – some friends they are

-or in the fact the prince is headed to jail for a very long time?
-or that he didn’t change any drug laws , just made them worse?
-or that he made million$ selling seeds and still owes the taxman
-or that he gave only a slender portion of his windfall away ,
-or that his magazine is bankrupt- & this website is in trouble
– or he will never get a business license in Vancouver

By his colossal selfishness, this repeat offender pushing his luck, threatening to overgrow not only his government, but everybody elses government – shipping pot seeds to countries where cultivation brings the death penalty.. to underage people. to criminals, to the DEA…if they had the cash– which he washed and now faces additional charges for-

Anyway you slice it, your Prince of Pot is done like a donut

and add to all this– your Prince of Pot single handedly brought the drug war to Canada,= admit it, there wasn’t one here before he started mouthing off incriminating himself and his stoner toads ..Note that anyone close to him is either in jail, headed to jail, just out of jail, out on bail or on probation..thats full time crime culture: not social liberationists at work.

may justice prevail and the drug creeps fail

Truth Hurts on
May 6, 2009 8:49 pm

I’m all for free speech provided there is a modicum of intelligence and truth to it…but, there is no basis to your inflammatory, caustic comments, ‘RonPaulsBastardSon’. You are here to cause problems and nothing more. You’re not here to have a rational discussion. It seems apparent that you’re either a law-enforcement individual, or a misguided soul with a chip on his shoulder for some strange reason – which is it, anyways? You’re a pathetic little person, either way. Like I said, I’m for free speech, but your posts really cross the line into slanderous, inflammatory garbage that should be deleted by the forum moderator.

midnite toker on
May 6, 2009 8:34 pm

i for one have smoked daily for 9 years and am not addicted and saved a FORTUNE by growing marc emerys seeds, now I do clones and pay nothing to smoke why am I a criminal for saving money ????????????????????????????????????

Ron Pauls Bastard Son on
May 6, 2009 6:43 pm

Stoners // organize? these two words don’t belong in the same sentence.
You know it too

And so after dragging your selfish drugged up collective asses for four years- thats 1500 days- suddenly you re going to rise as one orchestrated socially compassionate force and save your stoner king from the Canadian Justice System? NO YOU”RE NOT- you’re going to do what you always do–

get stoned, act out a well rehearsed grumpy outrage for thirty or fourty seconds mumble how great your dope is and how wrong the world is-
and repeat again, and again and again..how pot is not addictive as you huff up yet again..

nobody cares how you waste your life, as long as you close the door so we can’t smell you bad habits.

as for your Prince of Pot- he offered to plead guilty last year to
” save his friends” aka co accused- you bet your ass Mr Emery didn’t want his friends” up on the witness stand, he would have received 30 years after their damning testimony– However, same damning testimony effect achieved , betrayal by appointment in Seattle the ratters get off earlier, easier but at the expense their leader, and yours- the Prince of Pot.

You have here a scenerio of Blondie & the Old Hippy, of their free choice crossing the border with their lawyers last week driving down to Seattle to betray Mr Emery to the DEA head bosses in their headquarters.. sucking up to their avowed American enemy. How nice of the BC 2 to do this …especially since there’s a convenient DEA office right in downtown Vancouver,

Anonymous on
May 6, 2009 5:15 pm

hold on folks ,,lets not let this guy get us off message here .the real reason we are here is to show we are able to organize and be there when mark needs us, this is the best way we can support mark.. ..we want to make sure when and if this go’s down that we have enough people to march on them and show our strength in our numbers .thats people from both sides of the boarder..weedmen

the truth on
May 6, 2009 2:15 am

Dear Ron Pauls Bastard Son,
first of all, you couldn’t be more wrong about everything you just said. If Marc Emery were just in it for himself, then why would he except a plea deal giving himself 5 years in prison just to save his friends from getting any time? Why would he continue to speak out in public, send out flyers, protest, raise awareness, and put himself in the position to get caught when he only cares about himself? He is a man of honor who fights for what he truly believes in. And as far as your dumbass question that remains about the money he hid from taxmen. Are you kidding, did you not read the story directly above? He payed taxes on every pack of seeds he sold, which is quite a bit of money, and more of a service to his community than your dumb ass will ever do in your lifetime. Sadly you are a negative moron who is unable to see this. To me you sound like some dumbass cop who is jealous of marcs fame and money. You have no honor, courage, and obviously no logic whatsoever. And speaking of olympics and stoners being “selfish delusional morons”. Would you call Michael Phelps a selfish delusional moron? or what about husain bolt? These delusional morons seem to have accomplished quite a bit. would you call Carl sagan delusional, or maybe president obama, John Lennon, ron paul, bob marley, Jack nickelson, woody harrelson, joe rogan, and roughly half of the entire US who has tried marijuana delusional? I think not. It seems that the ignorant people who view this wonderful plant as a dangerous drug are the ones who are delusional.

Anonymous on
May 6, 2009 1:06 am

Eat feces and die. After so many years of government lies, it’s not hard to understand why your head is so far up your ass. I have smoked herb for most of my adult life. I graduated from college, had a professional career and raised a family. Now retired, I still burn a dube now and again. Mark Emery is not a criminal he’s a hero both to myself and to alot of fellow stoners.

Truth Hurts on
May 5, 2009 11:08 pm

That clown ‘RonPaulsBastardSon’ is a pathetic, lying antagonist – there is absolutely no merit to his drivel, and any semi-intelligent person can pick up on that. So…no need to worry or stoop to responding to his inflammatory trash, in my opinion. Cannabis will be legal, like it or not, pal – it’s the people’s will the world over, apparently. Lastly, I’d like to encourage all individuals to attempt to improve their spelling, because at times, it’s too difficult to look at…sorry. It also perpetuates the myth of all cannabis users being illiterate, and often times, foul-mouthed, when the majority of us clearly aren’t.

Anonymous on
May 5, 2009 6:14 pm

Stop what, all the above poster is doing is embarrasing him/herself, acting like a child, calling names. The list of successful (and famous) people who have smoked pot and swear by it is a mile long. Not to mention according to recent statistics, marijuana smokers in the US have higher education, tend to be employed full time slightly higher than the rest of the population. There’s a reason public perception of cannabis has been changing over the past few decades, why the majority of Canadians want it decriminalized. Too many people now either smoke pot or know people who smoke pot and know the idiotic old myths about it are, well, a bunch of huey.

Anonymous on
May 5, 2009 4:48 pm

cant somebody who is good at writing stop this guyplease
before the media reads this tresonous words and its all over
or can marc and jody errce his posts ban him for life before the medai gets wind of this

Ron Pauls Bastard Son on
May 5, 2009 4:36 pm

Mark Emery will soon be extradited to the USA to face trial for drug crime.
he is looking at many years in prison, guaranteed by the fact his co accused betrayed him– yes B E T R A Y E D him-=- some close knit community

What have you done about it? what has your giant stoner community done about his fate for 4 years? what will you do about it? what can you do about it?

Nothing– you will do nothing’
and you know you’re all lame
and that you always have been ineffective
and you will never accomplish any of the changes you whine about
Mark Emery skimmed millions– MILLIONS- from the stoner community by selling you three cent seeds for $10.00 each..

stoners have accomplished nothing in four generations-
stoners created nothing but smoke & ashes,.. and lots of excuses
considering everything, prohibition is winning its goals
when its all over Marc Emery will be lead away in chains to a US prison
his co accused will fade away in shame
and the stoners will stand there like wet hamsters- ineffective, as usual

the RCMP and the DEA will use Emerys seized millions to catch stoners-
– money stoners paid to Emery and his kind in the first place

Anonymous on
May 5, 2009 3:37 pm

funny you would hit and run like that ..just go’s to show your out of touch with the rest of the world ..are you still living as a republican or are you hiding now to like the rest of the so called conservitive party ..in my country you guys are now only 20% of the voting population , not much chance you’ll be able to stop us now..i guess striking out at me is your way of making up for your loosing party .its very plain to see that since obama has taken office that these little attacks you all are attempting to make are failing ..its people like you that voted for george w bush and put us were we are ..we all no you guys are to blaim for the mess this worlds in ..you keep the bible close and keep thinking gods on your side ..so you can call us all the names your little mind can think up ,but remember we are the ones running the show now ..oh and guess what ..pots going to be legal everywere before to long ..and theres nothing your little group can do to change that ..so ron puals spunk gob ,hows that whore of a mother of yours .she should learn to keep her legs closed and you should learn to shut up unless someones talking to you ..asshole..

Anonymous on
May 5, 2009 3:11 pm

Why they charge him for something that’s legal to sell seeds in canada?

Anonymous on
May 5, 2009 5:14 am

You really are a fucking idiot, not a moron. Moron and imbecial are above an idiot.

LeRoy on
May 5, 2009 1:43 am

I cannot believe someone living in this age would be so closed minded as you. “The stoner community are mostly delusional selfish morons…” This is adorable. I have a large amount of “stoner” friends, and not one of them is selfish. For the simple fact, we are exactly what I said, friends. Cannabis Culture is one the the largest cultures in the world. Cultures try to help their own people. The same way the Canadian or American government would try to help their own citizens.

Making Cannabis illegal was quite possibly the worse thing the western world has done. It’s cons have far out weighed the pros. Why not make alcohol or tobacco illegal ? They are both far more likely to kill or injure a person than Cannabis. Alcohol is literally a poison. Tobacco is a plant that does nothing for the enjoyment of the user, other than quenching the ‘craving’; being a addiction feeling. Cannabis is not physically addictive as tobacco is, or alcohol. I enjoy a drink or a smoke on occasion, but I’d much rather have Cannabis legal and the others illegal, if given the chance.

Buddy Watts on
May 5, 2009 12:52 am

Here’s hoping that Marc Emery is considered for the same probation-style sentence as Michelle and Greg, if any ‘punishment’ is illogically required – anything else would be a travesty of justice. Marc has worked tirelessly and openly towards the ultimate goal of cannabis legalization for the last fifteen-plus years – time will inevitably reveal him to be a just, commendable individual.
The sooner the Canadian people oust Stephen Harper and those stale Conservative hacks with their backward, antiquated views, a la George W. Bush (they are one in the same, don’t kid yourself), things will change for the better. Since long before the Government of Canada’s four-year Le Dain Commission of 1972 and the similar four-year 2002 Commission, both of which recommended decriminalization, the Canadian people have been calling for the legalization of cannabis. Cannabis is a non-addictive plant that is a lot safer than beer…nobody should be jailed for making the safer choice. Alcohol kills – cannabis doesn’t.

Le Dain Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs, often referred to as the Le Dain Commission after its chair Dean Gerald Le Dain, was a Canadian government commission that was begun in 1969 and completed its work in 1972. The final report recommended that cannabis be removed from the Narcotic Control Act and that the provinces implement controls on possession and cultivation, similar to those governing the use of alcohol. The report also recommended that the federal government conduct further research to monitor and evaluate changes in the extent and patterns of the use of cannabis and other drugs, and to explore possible consequences to health, and personal and social behaviour, resulting from the controlled legal distribution of cannabis.

A total of 365 submissions were presented at the hearings and an additional 50 were forwarded to the Commission’s office. About 12,000 people attended and participated in these hearings which included testimony from a number of prominent individuals including John Lennon on December 22, 1969 in Montreal[1].

Although the report was widely praised for its thoroughness and thoughtfullness, its conclusions were largely ignored by the federal government.

_________________________

Legalize and Regulate Cannabis, Canadian Senate Committee Says

September 5, 2002 – Ottawa, ON, Canada

Special Report Finds Pot To Be Less Harmful Than Alcohol Or Tobacco;
Calls For Licensed Distribution Of Marijuana For Recreational And Medical Purposes

Ottawa, Ontario: Members of a special Senate committee unanimously urged Parliament to amend federal law to allow for the regulated use, possession and distribution of marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes, in a 600-page report released yesterday by the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs.

“Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue,” said Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, who oversaw the Committee’s two-year inquiry. “Whether or not an individual uses marijuana should be a personal choice that is not subject to criminal penalties. [Therefore,] we have come to the conclusion that, as a drug, it should be regulated by the state much as we do for wine and beer, hence our preference for legalization over decriminalization.”

Several previous government-appointed committees, including the U.S. National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse (aka The Shafer Commission) and the Canadian Government Commission of Inquiry Into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs (aka The Le Dain Commission), have recommended decriminalizing marijuana – a policy whereby criminal penalties on the use and possession of pot are eliminated, but distributing the drug remains illegal. However, Canada’s Special Senate Committee is one of the first government-appointed commissions to recommend legalizing marijuana outright.

“In our opinion, Canadian society is ready for a responsible policy of cannabis regulation,” their report concludes. “[We therefore] recommend that the Government of Canada amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to create a criminal exemption scheme, under which the production and sale of cannabis would be licensed … to permit persons over the age of 16 to procure cannabis and its derivatives at duly licensed distribution centers.”

The Committee calls on Parliament to enact a similar exemption on the production of marijuana for personal use, as well as provide amnesty for any person convicted of pot possession under current or past legislation. Over 50 percent of all Canadian drug violations involve marijuana possession, the Committee found. Among the general population, 30 percent of Canadians have used marijuana in their lifetime, and approximately 50 percent of high school students admit to having used it within the past year.

“A look at trends in cannabis use, both among adults and young people, forces us to admit that current policies are ineffective,” the report concluded.

Regarding the use and regulation of marijuana for medicinal purposes, the Committee determined that there are “clear therapeutic benefits” of inhaled cannabis in the treatment of various conditions – including chronic pain and multiple sclerosis – and recommended Health Canada “provide new rules regarding eligibility, production and distribution” of medical pot. Although Canada legalized the use and cultivation of medicinal marijuana to qualified patients last year, the government has since backtracked on its promise to establish a regulated, medicinal pot distribution system.

Other findings by the Committee include:

Marijuana is not a gateway to the use of hard drugs. “Cannabis itself is not a cause of other drug use. In this sense, we reject the gateway theory.”

Marijuana use does not lead to the commission of crime. “Cannabis itself is not a cause of delinquency and crime; and cannabis is not a cause of violence.”

Marijuana users are unlikely to become dependent. “Most users are not at-risk users … and most experimenters stop using cannabis. … Heavy use of cannabis can result in dependence requiring treatment; however, dependence caused by cannabis is less severe and less frequent than dependence on other psychotropic substances, including alcohol and tobacco.”

Marijuana use has little impact on driving. “Cannabis alone, particularly in low doses, has little effect on the skills involved in automobile driving. Cannabis leads to a more cautious style of driving. [Cannabis does have] a negative impact on decision time and trajectory [however] this in itself does not mean that drivers under the influence of cannabis represent a traffic safety risk.”

Liberalizing marijuana laws is unlikely to lead to increased marijuana use. “Data from other countries … indicate that countries … which have put in place a more liberal approach have not seen their long-term levels of cannabis use rise. … We have concluded that public policy itself has little effect on cannabis use trends and that other more complex and poorly understood factors play a greater role in explaining the variations.”

Marijuana prohibition poses a greater risk to health than marijuana use. “We believe … that the continued prohibition of cannabis jeopardizes the health and well-being of Canadians much more than does the substance itself or the regulated marketing of the substance. In addition, we believe that the continued criminalization of cannabis undermines the fundamental values set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

You fucking moron. You are like so many people who have no rational ability to see how absurd this Drug War is. The powers that be, keep this plant illegal because they can profit off of it. If it were legalized no one would profit from money, just free home grown shit. As long as they can arrest you for smoking or eating a fucking plant for heavens sake they will fight legalization. Looks like you are part of the problem there! No one should be able to lock up people for using a GOD given Herb that has less harm than any other substance know to man.

Ron Pauls Bastard Son on
May 4, 2009 9:51 pm

Mark Emery skimmed millions of dollars selling pot seeds to stoner retards, and called it” Serving his Community” -hes in it for himself and when the heat is on, wants the stoners to run to his aid.
The stoner community are mostly delusional selfish morons, soaked in thc and they are only a community when there’s a party and free dope is being handed out. They are just in it for themselves, When their leader Mark Emery is about to be hauled away in chains and he cries out for help, History demonstrates that all the stoners will do is present huffy denouncements against prohibition. Words not deeds None of it is of any value

Emery was arrested in 2005- that was 4 years agp- he has wasted all his time since in futile hobby politics and partying with cash customers at his storefront Playboy mansion. His stoner community have done nothing for his doomed plight except mouth off. Four years of 420 is almost up.. welcome the 2010 Olympics in its place

Th drug laws will change someday but not towards dercrim and certainly not legalization. The Conservative retooled drug law package will soon be in effect. Why?> because of exploitive Narco bandits like Emery and the scores of drugged up ineffective boy-men who follow behind like flies on shit.

Question remains: where are all the millions of pot seed dollars Mark Emery hid from the taxman? He sure as hell didn’t plough it all into drug legalization schemes like he claims.

Anonymous on
May 4, 2009 9:02 pm

I’m ashamed my country would waste your time and U.S. tax dollars to make an obselete point.

NOW is the time Americans need to act for Mr. Emery. Now’s the time for Obama to grow up and stop this stupid DEA activity.

U.S. Citizens….need to write Obama or there rep’s in Congress to stop this nonsense…I’m writing a snail mail today…..someone post a way to contact and get this going so Mr. Emery can get on with being elected “Prime Minister” of the great American country of CANADA!

GL MARC!

weedmen on
May 4, 2009 8:01 pm

you heard it folks, if it dose go down and mark is forced back to the usa for trial ,then its up to all of us to speak our minds out loud on this ..loud and clear so they no we are coming ..every pot smoker in the usa and canada owe this man a great bit for what he has done to make our lifes a little easyer to live..now he needs our help and i think it is only right that we march for him ..dont you worry mark , we have your back as you had ours in all these great fights to make marrihuana avalible to the sick and dieing..as an amercan who lives in a state thats laws are getting ready to change , i no these changes are only because of the people who has stood out and spoke up ..people like mark emery…now he has put him self out there for the whole world to see in hopes of changing drug laws to benifit us all..now is the time for us to stand up and speak out for him ..